Puyallup River Brewing - still riding the high of the Hawks Super Bowl win - will release a new brew, We Are The Champions IPA Friday, Feb. 28. To pair perfectly with its new pint of hops, the brewery will host a taco night, beginning at 5 p.m. at its Puyallup River Alehouse. Thanks to a partnership with Sweet and Savory catering, the tacos will be amped with hand-fried corn tortillas and fresh ingredients. The We Are The Champions PIA taps release at 7:30 p.m.

Can't wait for Puyallup River Alehouse fun? Bear Republic Brewing Co. drops in at 6 p.m. tonight with beers, giveaways and raffle prizes.

PUYALLUP RIVER ALEHOUSE, 120 S. Meridian, Puyallup, 253.268.0955

This just in from the Washington State Fair Folks:

Two of Christian music's premier entertainers, Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant, will be taking the grandstand stage at the Washington State Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. Smith is known for hit songs "Place in This World," and "I Will Be Here for You," While Amy Grant is recognized for hit songs "That's What Love is For," and "Every Heartbeat." Tickets go on sale on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 10 a.m.

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THURSDAY, FEB. 6 2014 >>>

1. Green Drinks welcomes you to meet new people and discuss environmental issues over happy hour. Happy hour for environmentalists. It's a beautiful thing. Green Drinks Tacoma rides into the Tacoma Cabana at 6 p.m. That's right, brah, and the folks from the South Sound chapter of Surfrider will be under the thatched roof to give an overview of what they are up to, including their efforts to work with the Tacoma City Council to adopt a reusable bag initiative that would include a ban on single-use plastic bags.

2. Puyallup Gallery Three will host an artist reception for watercolorist and multi-media artist Renee' Healy as well as a healing arts event featuring internationally renowned reiki master, Norma Jean Young, Tara Tremlett and Charles Klennert from Ahimsa Hypnotherapy and Healing, Denise Coyle from True Heart Counseling, Kathy Leale from doTERRA, seated massage from Salon DaVinci Medi Spa, acupuncture from William Leigh, medical aesthetician for eyebrow wax and tints and others from 5-8 p.m.

Flip on any food or travel network and most likely chefs are battling mano a mano in a duel to the death - or at least through dessert. NetShed No. 9 - the Gig Harbor waterfront creative breakfast and lunch destination opened by Thad Lyman and Katie Doherty, the husband-wife team behind Brix 25 - will launch its version of a chef battle at 6:30 p.m. They call it Fight Club, and the judges are you.

The 12th annual Sister Cities International Film Festival kicks off at 6:15 p.m. in the Tahoma Room at Commencement Hall on the University of Puget Sound campus. The city of Tacoma's Sister Cities program pulls together movies from each of its sister countries and offers nights of all things cultural - for free. Tonight's film, Thermae Romae, is based on a popular Japanese manga series. Marrying a sci-fi hook to a costume-epic look, the script tracks the time travels of a lowly architect in the Rome of Emperor Hadrian. Lucius designs bathhouses, until he slips through an aquatic wormhole into present-day Tokyo, marvels at the wonders of Jacuzzi technology, then wormholes back to put his newfound knowledge to practical use. Toga-clad Romans speaking Japanese!

5. Brian James is an accomplished singer/songwriter and instrumentalist who was hired in 2008 as the head staff writer at Sure-Fire Music Publishing in Nashville where he wrote hit songs for four years, before starting his own publishing/management company, Brick Hit House Music. He wrote the theme song for the Discovery Channel's American Farmer, as well as for Taylor Hicks, Donny Anderson and Tonya Kennedy. Catch him at 8 p.m. at The Swiss.

LINK: Thursday, Feb. 6 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, JAN. 30 2014 >>>

1. The Mantles hail from San Francisco, where legions of bands are embracing the '60s sound, though largely in the context of fuzzy garage rock, this sort of Nuggets influence that seems to color all Bay Area bands. Meanwhile, the Mantles tend to incorporate brightly ringing guitars with delicately hazy melodies. Each song, while lo-fi, is a chiming bit of bubbly sound that defies the current trend of shrouding songs in fuzzy haze. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on the Mantles in the Music & Culture section, then catch the band with Still Caves, Not From Brooklyn and Loser Dog at 9p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge.

2. Tacoma Goodwill's Youth Barista Program new hands-on classroom for youth (16-24) barista training opens at 9 a.m. for a "first pour" ceremony at its Coffee Buzz training facility and coffee shop at the Hilltop Regional Healthcare Center in Tacoma.  District managers from Starbucks are volunteering to help with the program kickoff.

3. The Crown Bar in Tacoma hosts an Anderson Valley Beer Night at 5 p.m. Tasty brews include Boont Amber, Hop Ottin, ESB and Bourbon Barrel Stout. Food specials will include bangers and mash and fried oyster rolls.

4. Puyallup Main Street Association meetings aren't all boardrooms and slideshows. Its meeting and reception dinner tonight will include a Margaritaville themed murder mystery, no host bar, a margarita luge and games such as the limbo and karaoke at The Manor-Station House (726 N. Meridian, Puyallup). The buffet style menu includes a Santa Fe salad, chef carved carne asada and other delights with, of course, a Margaritaville flair. Tickets cost $30 presale or $35 at the door; festivities will occur from 6 to 10 pm. Tropical attire is suggested. Purchase online at puyallupmainstreet.com or at the PMSA office, 107 N. Main in Puyallup.

Jason Baldwin, a man who spent 18 years in Arkansas prisons as one of the WM3 - the West Memphis Three - for a grisly 1993 murder, despite spotty evidence, will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the Olympia Timberland Library. Baldwin, a teen when he was convicted in 1994, will discuss his experience as an innocent man sentenced to life without parole. The story gained international attention, and outcries by a long list of celebrities, after the 1996 release of the documentary Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, which was critical of the investigation of the crime and the trial. Following his talk, Holly Ballard of the Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty will speak about capital punishment and the work that is being done in Washington State.

LINK: Thursday, Jan. 30 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 22 2014 >>>

1. It's winter, and you're hankerin' for some good old-fashioned outdoor fun, but all you can do is sit by the fireplace and watch Aunt Tilly do the mendin'. Never fear, the Washington Sportsmen's Show is here, with all the fish catching, bow hunting and turkey calling seminars you can cram in to five days. Worried that your flies look like small curious animals? Check out a fly tying demonstration. Worried your kids will destroy exhibits with their new Legend of Hercules moves?  Drop them off at the kid's trout pond. Also expect one-of-a-kind indoor Steelhead River, more than 153 hours of free "how to" seminars, camp cooking demonstrations, Head & Horns competition, Cowboy Fast Draw show, wilderness survival and outdoor safety expert Peter Kummerfeldt and much more. The show opens today from noon to 8 p.m. at the Washington State Fair Events Center.

2. Artists from The Gallery at TCC's current "Global Perspectives" exhibit discuss issues related to the exhibit, moderated by TCC Instructor Wendi Fein at 4 p.m.

3. An opening reception for "I Like Rocks!" - an exhibition of recent work by UPS assistant professor of ceramics Chad Gunderson - will be held 5-7 p.m. in Kittredge Gallery.

4. Pour at Four hosts a Big Winter Reds tasting featuring big, bold and rich reds displaying beautiful fullness and finesse from 5:30-8 p.m.

5. Lyon Pride continues its Hempfest Tryouts Wednesday night series at Jazzbones with bands Insiege, Tyranny Theory, Sick Either Way, BlackBeatBlue and others at 7:30 p.m.

LINK: Wednesday, Jan. 22 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

The Pierce County prosecutor charged a Puyallup man with second-degree murder Tuesday in the stabbing death of Sgt. 1st class Shawn A. Woods, who intervened in a domestic violence assault Sunday.

Woods, 38, was a member of Troop A, 8th Squadron, 1st Calvary Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis McChord.

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SUNDAY, JAN. 5 2014 >>>

1. If you ever wondered what would happen if the Terminator had a love affair with Sarah Conner, then this show's for you. An offbeat comedic showdown titled "Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction" is pitting 10 comedians against each other in a battle for laughs, where they win points telling stories about steamy love affairs between popular film and television characters. Led by Bryan Cook, comedy writer for Joan Rivers' Fashion Police, the contest tasks professional comics to arrive with their own piece of erotic fan fiction on anything from Harry Potter to 60 Minutes, perform it, then quickly scribble and perform another story of the audience's choosing. A national hit on the comedy-festival circuit, the show drops in on the Tacoma Comedy Club at 8 p.m.

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FRIDAY, JAN. 3 2014 >>>

1. Seattle's the Mama Rags are a group of Northerners taking on Southern rock with gleeful aplomb, combining the rousing barroom ditties of the Band with the streak of sweaty melancholy that colored Creedence Clearwater Revival (who themselves were the bayou by way of Berkeley, Calif.). While the Mama Rags are a very new band, it'll be exciting to watch them progress and anticipate their debut EP, which is supposedly forthcoming. Catch the band with Ice Teeth at 10 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

2. It's winter (duh!) and flower lovers have a bad case of Seasonal Affective Disorder. For these folks, artificial won't do; it's just a countdown to spring. Ah, but there are a few plants that flourish indoors during the cold months to keep you smiling - and they're not plastic. Green thumbs hanging out at the Puyallup Home & Garden Show today through Sunday know which plants flourish indoors. The show will feature displays and vendors, such as new furniture so you can gaze at your pathetic plants in comfort. If you're mad about keeping up with the Joneses, then this congregation of home and garden exhibitors from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. will inflame those covetous inclinations.

3. The Olympia Timberland Regional Library hostsListen Here: A Lunch Break Story Time for Adults from 12:10-12:50 p.m. at the Olympia Timberland Library. Corey Snow, a professional audiobook narrator and voice actor, will read two short story selections: The White Silence by Jack London, and Saki's The Music on the Hill.

4. The Tacoma Dome hosts the enormously popular diversion Monster Jam this weekend for a screeching, smashing round of vehicle-crunching monster-truck competitions featuring, among others, champion truck Gravedigger, and its amped-up mechanical opponents, such as: Northern Nightmare, Monster Mutt Dalmatian, Metal Mulisha, New Earth Authority, El Toro Loco and Captain USA and Double Trouble - driven by Gig Harbor brothers Travis and Tyler Groth, respectively. (Keep in mind that while the drivers are important, the trucks - gargantuan bundles of concentrated horsepower that can fly up to 25 feet in the air - are the real stars.) The action begins tonight at 8 p.m. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on the Groth brothers in the Military Life section.

5. The Pig Bar has gained reputation as a solid music source in Olympia, providing quality, free music every weekend. This weekend is no exception with The Blackberry Bushes String Band tonight at 8:30 p.m. and The Pine Hearts Bluegrass Band Saturday at 9 p.m.

LINK: Friday, Jan.3 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, DEC. 7 2013 >>>

1. It's freakin' cold outside, and it's better to admit that fact and find a way to enjoy the season than to stay home cowering behind the heater. Ice skating, with its low requirements in start-up costs and athletic prowess, may be the perfect way to beat the winter doldrums. It's charming and, in Tacoma, it comes with live music. Every Saturday night the Weekly Volcano turns on the amps to the Electric Salchow Stage at the Franciscan Polar Plaza ice rink. Up next is Singer-songwriter Rebekah Ann Curtis, who sings and writes her heart and soul through songs that reflect folk, blues and rock. Curtis showcases her voice next door at 7 p.m. and performs for skaters until 9 p.m.

2. Downtown Puyallup turns cranks the holiday factor to an 11 today. Festivities begin at 9:30 a.m. with the Holiday Market in Pioneer Park Pavilion, where you'll find a variety of artisan crafts and unique gifts, as well as holiday home decor and specialty food items. The Lighted Santa Parade begins at 5 - so-called because Santa got lit and wasn't able to drive his sleigh. OK, not really. He just wanted to a break from the elves and reindeer, and decided to hitch a ride on a fire truck instead. The parade culminates in the lighting of the community tree. 

3. Hello, holiday tradition! The Nutcracker ballet performance is a holiday forever classic. The Tacoma City Ballet does it up right and with a delightful twist. Did you know that there's a "prequel" to The Nutcracker called The Prequel or Tale of the Hard Nut? Celebrating its 30th performance season, the ballet company takes on The Nutcracker performance in its entirety, which includes the prequel. In short: prepare to be dazzled, delighted and enchanted at 3 p.m. in the Pantages Theater.

4. Whoooooooa man, we're tripping on some heavy stuff! What's that, dude? What are we on? Just a little Geist and the Sacred Ensemble, that's what. It's a band, man. And they're laying down their sound - think Gregorian chant meets mind-expanding electronic freakiness - tonight at the Aquarius Space Out. That's at the Java Jive, brother. 8 p.m. Oh yeah, and the band got some other cats with them in the van: The Low Hums outta Seattle, whose brand of catchy space-rock will fit right in (hey, they have a song called "Gongs and Bongs"!) and, rounding out this consciousness-altering show, Retrospecter. Maybe you knew them as Tacoma's The Sugar Beats, but they, like, reincarnated (whooooooa, again!). Anyhow, Retrospecter's kaleidoscope musings provide the third leg of what is bound to be a pretty trippy evening. 

5. So much has been said about the classic Tacoma punk band Girl Trouble that very little more needs to be said. For anyone not in the know, this is the most badass band still working in Tacoma. KP Kendall still performs shirtless. The band still fights the good fight against those pay-to-play scams that rob young, naïve bands. Girl Trouble edges closer to their anniversary, and so they are releasing a number of tributes to their boozy, rocking legacy. The band performs its annual Christmas show at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge with the Dignitaries and Trees & Timber. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Girl Trouble drummer Bon Von Wheelie in the Music & Culture section.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Saturday, Dec. 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, OCT. 12 2013 >>>

1. From the first resonant chords of piano on Rockwell Powers's and DJ Phinisey's new album, BUILD, it's clear that this is an album that strives to be more than just another album of blustering and posturing. Accompanied by the reading of a poem by Jesse Ann Fouts, opening track "BuildxPoem1" explores the compellingly picturesque idea of a city built of bones and flesh, flanked by seas of fear and longing. It's an entrancing image with which to open one's album, and Powers follows through on this promise, delivering an album that splits its time between melancholy ruminations about insecurity and spellbinding indictments of the state of music, arts and city. All of these themes are played out over a bed of tastefully restrained beats and washes of electronics. The release show for BUILD is all ages and will be held at downtown's Grit City GrindHouse - a skate and art shop - at 9 p.m. with the Breaklites, RA Scion and Mr. Melanin. Read Rev. Adam McKinney thoughts on the album and discussion with Rockwell Powers in the Music and Culture section.

2. Bird lovers from far and wide will flock (get it?) to Tacoma for the 10th annual Bird Lovers' Weekend at the Museum of Glass. Iittala master glassblowers Arto Lahtinen and Kirsi Antila enter the Hot Shop are in the Hot Shop with bird-related art activities as part of Family Day. Click here for full schedule.

3. The Puyallup Public Library celebrates Star Wars Reads Day with "astromech builder" and history buff Cole Horton from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. He's capping off a series of events by revealing how George Lucas's science-fantasy universe was influenced by the pop culture of his youth. It's a great way to introduce younglings and Padawan learners to the Light Side of both reading and 20th-century history.

4. Want to get the feel of Cuba? Go to Miami. Let's face it, with such a small Cuban population, Tacoma is typically deprived of the multitudes of cultural goodies that emanate from Fidel's little isle 90 miles off the Keys. But yearly, to the rescue comes the Tacoma-Cienfuegos Sister City's Taste of Cuba.  The evening includes a whole pig roasted in a pit, live music by trio Sin Embargo, salsa dancing and instruction and a silent/live auction of Cuban curiosities beginning at 5 p.m. in the Asia Pacific Cultural Center.

5. Tacoma's resident burlesque troupe, the Gritty City Sirens, will be throwing a Halloween-themed "Spooktacular Soiree," which does well to reflect these different aspects of burlesque. In addition to the Sirens's always engaging performances, there will be appearances by Ginger S Mack of Olympia's Tush burlesque troupe and belly dancer Carol Bui. Thrown on top of all of this will be the soulful sounds of the Kim Archer Band and Ninja Kat on the turntables. It will be a night of sensory overload and, perhaps, just a little bit of spectacular chaos. It begins at 9 p.m. in the 502 Downtown bar.

LINK: Saturday, Oct. 12 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area